Notorious criminal wanted for RJD leader’s murder in Bihar arrested in Keralam’s Kollam

Mohammed Ajaj Ahmed brought to the Kollam District Hospital for a medical examination on Friday.

A joint operation by the Bihar Police and the Kollam East police led to the arrest of a notorious criminal wanted in connection with the murder of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Baidyanath Mahto and another individual in Bihar. The accused, 30-year-old Mohammed Ajaj Ahmed, a native of Dumra Ketharia in Sitamarhi district, was apprehended from Andamukkam in Kollam on Friday.

The fugitive had been residing at Andamukkam with his family, working as a driver for a footwear shop and later for a lawyer. Acting on tip-off regarding his whereabouts, a police team from Bihar travelled to Kollam and executed the arrest with the support of a local team led by sub-inspector Ranju.

According to the police, Ajaj has more than eleven criminal cases registered against him across various police stations in Bihar, involving charges of murder, attempted murder, arms act violations, robbery, and theft. Cases involving theft, housebreaking, and possession of illegal arms are registered at the Dumra, Pupri, and Bajpatti police stations, while murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy cases are pending against him at the Katra police station in Muzaffarpur.

The high-profile murder occurred on September 12, 2026, in Dumra, Sitamarhi, when assailants on a motorcycle shot dead Mahto while he was out for his morning walk. The daylight murder triggered widespread public outrage and severe clashes in the area, with an agitated crowd even vandalising police vehicles. Another accused in the case, Tribhuvan Kushwaha, was earlier arrested by the Bihar Police.

After executing the crime in Bihar, Ajaj fled across multiple States and managed to evade police radar until reaching Kollam. Following a medical examination at the Kollam District Hospital, the accused was brought to the Kollam East Police Station, produced before a local court to secure a transit warrant, and subsequently handed over to the Bihar Police to be transported back.